In past months, Stainless reduced its tall tower crews to one as income opportunities fell off a cliff following the repack.
After 77 years of shaping the American landscape with more than 50% of the nation’s broadcast towers, in addition to microwave structures and other communications installations, Stainless is closing its doors, according to FDH Infrastructure Services, LLC. FDH, which acquired Stainless’s engineering team, CAD draftspeople, broadcast construction crews, and 7,500 structural drawings in 2015, confirmed the shutdown.
Sources indicate that Stainless has been seeking a buyer for the business for about two years following a steep decline in the broadcast tower market. The downturn followed the high-demand repacking era, during which Stainless reportedly generated revenue of $60 million within a few years.
In an email to clients, Stainless announced its decision to cease operations and outlined plans to sell either copies of or exclusive rights to its documentation on each tower project. According to the email, “Information will not be parsed. If copies are requested, the whole file/history will be released for each tower project number.” Additionally, the company is open to selling all project and standards data together at a single purchase price.
Rumors of the closure had circulated among Stainless’s clients last month, with two customers informing Wireless Estimator that they had heard the company would cease operations, though it could not be confirmed then.
One source noted that Stainless had recently maintained a small workforce, including one tower crew, approximately nine engineers, and a few drafting professionals, totaling about 20 employees.
Stainless ceased its manufacturing operations after selling and auctioning its Pine Forge plant in 2013. The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to freeze all new full-power and Class A TV station modification applications pending the incentive auction hampered the company’s ability to sustain new projects. This freeze was intended to provide the FCC with a “stable database” for evaluating repacking requirements, but it froze Stainless’s income.
Stainless had continued to collaborate with other fabricators in the industry. For instance, after the collapse of a 1,700-foot TV tower in Garden City, South Dakota, in 2022, Stainless designed the replacement structure. Precision Communications erected the new 1,705-foot KDLO tower earlier this month.
An enviable history ends after 77 years
Two years ago, Stainless commemorated its 75th anniversary. Officially incorporated on July 24, 1947, Stainless pioneered innovations in tower design, fabrication, erection, modifications, safety, and reliability—holding the longest and most distinguished history in the tower engineering and construction industry.
Throughout its history, Stainless has designed, fabricated, erected, and maintained over 7,500 towers in over 100 countries, including over half of the broadcast towers in the United States today. Customers frequently stated that the company was the “gold standard” for tower service companies.
Stainless’s first tower (above), a 385′ guyed tower, was built in 1947 for an AM station in Belair, NJ. By 1996 the company had built its 10th 2,000-foot tower. Two years later, they had over 250 1,000-foot towers dotting America’s landscape. Stainless has designed and built over 50% of the nation’s tall towers.
In the 1950s, Stainless assisted the U.S. Government with establishing an early warning network system to detect launched missiles. In the 1960s, Stainless pioneered the design and erection of 2,000′ tall towers and would build many of these staggeringly tall towers throughout the ensuing decades. In the 1990s, Stainless helped the nation’s broadcasters begin the complex process of converting all analog signals to digital transmissions. And in the late 2010s and early 2020s, Stainless was a major player in helping the broadcast industry respond to the Federal Communications Commission’s challenging spectrum repack initiative.
In 1965, Stainless designed and fabricated a 2,060-foot tower for KXJB TV in Fargo, ND. The tower has fallen twice and was rebuilt each time by Stainless. The first collapse occurred in 1968 when a Marine helicopter severed guy wires. The second collapse occurred in 1997 after the tower accumulated at least four inches of ice and was subjected to wind gusts of 70 miles per hour. Today, this tower is recorded as the fifth-tallest structure in the world.
In 1999, SpectraSite Communications purchased Stainless. In 2004, Don Doty and Pat Moore acquired Stainless, returning the company to being a privately owned tower fabricator. In 2015, Doty and Moore sold Stainless to FDH, with Moore departing FDH in 2019 and Doty leaving in 2022. Both industry leaders now co-own Broadcast Construction Solutions, LLC.
Stainless played an early and leading role in advocating for establishing previously non-existent safety and training standards for the tower industry.
“Commemorating a successful seventy-five years is a substantial milestone that few companies get to celebrate. The achievements and opportunities Stainless has experienced are truly remarkable. It goes without saying that its success is attributed to dedicated, passionate, and professional employees along with important Stainless partners. Their hard work and pioneering spirit throughout Stainless’ long history has enabled all of us to have access to the information, connection, and public safety we rely on daily,” said Gregg Fehrman, P.E., Vice President of Broadcast Services in celebrating the company’s 75th anniversary.
Unfortunately, his message today isn’t celebratory. He is inviting interested parties to buy Stainless’s remaining assets. He can be contacted at gregg.fehrman@fdh-is.com.